Sir,
The percentage of people suffering from depression in Odisha is staggering but unknown to many. Every other person you meet on a day-to-day basis may be suffering from depression; and the worst part is that you wouldn’t even know it. As human beings, we have a duty towards each other; to ask the other person how they are coping with life’s pressures. You never know whom you might be saving just by doing that.
We have become a society so blinded by our own needs, our own problems, that we have lost the ability to be humane. The need of the hour is to bring this topic to the fore, as a society, as a community, be it in schools, colleges, workplaces and, above all, at homes. We start small and begin within our own families, our parents, our children, our siblings and our significant others. The problem with our society is the immediate prejudicial judgment meted out at anyone we assume is “different” from us. By giving more attention to mental healthcare, the number of people who would benefit from this would be substantial. Mental health is something we should not be ashamed of discussing in public forums unlike we have been doing for other health issues like heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc. Funding towards mental healthcare should become a priority in our State. This would ensure that every person is given the opportunity to approach the right person for guidance and help. Therapists, mental healthcare professionals, would provide the right counselling which would lead to someone’s wellbeing, self-awareness and a path towards recovery. When more mental care facilities are made available, more people would have access towards such health services. I hope that one day our Odisha would evolve to the point where we no longer see mental health problems as “social taboos”.
K Ravi, E-237, GGP Colony, Bhubaneswar-751025, Mob: 9437616497